During April 2008, Chris Draft joined U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings and fellow NFL veteran Warrick Dunn on visit to Benjamin Banneker Academic High School.  During an early morning meeting with a council of student leaders, he used the example of the film The Great Debaters to illustrate a point to the students.  After making his point, he went on to explain the impact of the film in St. Louis, Atlanta and Clayton County and students became very interested in the concept of “A Discussion and A Movie.” 

While the Secretary and Warrick moved on, Chris and Principal Anita Berger continued to discuss the merits of a large group viewing and the value of a moderated roundtable discussion following a powerful film like The Great Debaters. 

A Discussion and A Movie™ The Great Debaters took place at Benjamin Banneker Academic High School on May 2, 2008.  The screening took place in the school’s auditorium involved approximately 400 students who represented the entire student body.  Immediately following the film, the roundtable discussion, which was moderated by Chris Draft, included guests from the D.C. Metro area.  Representatives from the U.S. Department of Education, Howard University and former NFL veterans from the NFLRPA chapter in Washington D.C. rounded out the panel on the stage and encourage the students in sharing their opinions on the film.

Prior to the end of the discussion, Chris introduced The Great Debaters Essay Contest to the students, challenging every student to select a topic of their choice from the list and telling him what they thought, either of the film or about the election or any event or experience of their own.  The winners of the essay contest would receive similar prizes, including 2 tickets to see Chris and his St. Louis Rams take on the Washington Redskins in October when his team returns for an away game.  4 winners were selected from each grade as winners of the contest.